Long Lake Not Listed: DNR Publishes Landslide Map Showing Thousands Of Potential Landslide Sites In Alaska, Including New One On The Glenn

COUNTRY JOURNAL COMMENTARY 

THE DANGEROUS DRIVE HOME 

New Section Of The Glenn Highway Shows Up On New Map Of Alaska Landslides... 

But Long Lake Hill Doesn't  

September 23rd, 2025

The State of Alaska has inventoried Alaska's many landslide zones on a comprehensive map. Landslides are very common throughout Alaska. Several in Southeast Alaska have caused massive damage and several deaths in the last few years. Currently, the mountainside town of Juneau in Southeast is being struck by heavy rain and landslides.

Long Lake Hill Not Included

Surprisingly, Long Lake Hill and Purinton Creek (which affect Copper Valley people daily because they must pass through those areas when they travel back and forth to their homes) are not included on the map. Instead, the map features a large section of hillside just past Long Lake Hill from about Mile 90.75 to just before the turnoff to Victory.

Muddy Creek

Travelers have probably noticed the destruction and mud slide caused by Muddy Creek coming down to the new double-lane section on the rebuilt area of the Glenn Highway at about Mile 94. Apparently, according to the new DNR map, this is just a small part of a much larger slide-prone hill. 

4-mile stretch of the Glenn Highway from around Mile 91 to 94 on the Glenn is a major unstable zone as shown on the DNR Landslide App. 

For Copper Valley Residents...

Long Lake Hill's importance to travelers, beyond its location between the Copper Valley and Anchorage, is indisputable. The Glenn Highway, a two-lane road with few shoulders and guardrails, is the main arterial route from the Canada border to Anchorage.

Local people have been coming across boulders and rocks on the highway there for decades. It is hair-raising to sit in the passenger's seat on the drive home and peer over the edge with no road shoulder or guard rail between you and the abyss. DOT crews daily go out onto the highway to remove boulders, and eventually push them over the cliffs. The fact that Long Lake Hill was not included in this map does not detract from its danger to Copper Valley residents every day.

To see the Landslide App for yourself, click here:

Alaska Landslide Inventory Web App